Book Bits: 9 November 2024

● Is the Chinese Economy a Miracle or a Bubble?
Lawrence J. Lau
Summary via publisher (The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press)
Since China undertook economic reform and opened its economy to the world in the late 1970s, its economy has been growing at an average annual rate of over 9 percent for more than four decades. No other economy in recorded history has grown at such a high rate and for such a long period as China has done. The questions that naturally arise are: Was the Chinese economy a miracle? Or was it a mere bubble? Will the Chinese economy begin to stagnate like the Japanese economy did in the 1990s, and perhaps decline? Will it be able to escape the “middle-income trap”? If it is not a miracle, can the Chinese development experience be replicated elsewhere?

● Values Over Valuables: Daring to Live the Life Money Can’t Buy
Harmon Kong
Summary via publisher (Forbes Books)
Values over Valuables by Harmon Kong is an essential guide for families seeking to create a meaningful legacy beyond financial wealth. Drawing from decades of experience as a wealth manager, Kong offers invaluable insights on building a family legacy rooted in shared values and open communication. Kong’s practical guidance applies to families of all financial backgrounds, focusing on responsible money management while upholding core family principles.

● Creative Destruction: How ESG Mandates Are Destroying Capitalism, Costing You Money, and Wrecking America
W. David Prescott and Michael Ashley
Summary via publisher (Greenleaf Book Group)
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is a clever ruse. It’s not a naked power grab—but rather, an insidious deception playing on the public’s desire to do good. While ESG is touted as theanswer to systemic challenges, it is more accurately a cover to centralize power between state and corporations for unprecedented control, stealing liberty and prosperity. Authors Prescott and Ashley reveal how ESG threatens American meritocracy, energy resilience, economic prosperity, military readiness, agriculture, and yes—even the environment it professes to protect.

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